The Program will take place at the Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis HS Theater, will include an evening of guest speakers, performers and a screening of the 1962 Wesleyan documentary, T.Balasarasawti (Bala), in which she performs her signature piece, Krishna Ni Begane Baro. We will acknowledge the lifelong dedication of Nandini Ramani and Priyamvada Shankar to Bala's legacy. We will also pay tribute to Louise and Sam Scripps who made it possible for Bala to teach and perform here in the United States and Jon B. Higgins whose Ph.D. dissertation has made a major contribution to the understanding of Bala's repertoire. The program emcees will be Anita Ratnam and Rajika Puri.

Benefit Dinner at 8PM

The Benefit Dinner will take place at Utsav Restaurant, where Gale Brewer and George Faison will be honored and a festive dance presentation will take place. Special guests will be recognized for their contribution and support of Lotus. The Benefit Dinner will also hold a silent auction, offering unique and beautiful items that represent our multi-cultural institution, including art, photography, specialty restaurants, and events. A Silent Auction Catalog showcasing the wide selection, from Tibetan Thangka Wall Hanging to Navajo and Zuni jewelry will be available for viewing shortly.

For more details, contact us at (212) 627-1076

Biographies

T. Balasaraswati (1918-1984) is considered one of India’s greatest Bharata Natyam dancers of the twentieth century. She was the seventh generation in a family that hailed from the Tanjore courts and produced dancers and musicians for some 250 years. Her mother, Jayammal was a great singer and her grandmother, Dhanammal was one of the most celebrated vina players of her time. She was trained by the eminent Kandappa Pillai, who was the great-grandson of Ponniah Pillai of the Tanjore Quartet, the four brothers who were teachers and composers responsible for codifying the Bharata Natyam training and repertoire.

Bala made her arangetram (debut) at the age of seven at the Amanakshi Amman temple at Kancheepuram to an enormous audience which included savants and rasikas (connoisseurs) of Bharata Natyam. She wasintroduced to Northern Indian in 1936 by the famed dancer, Uday Shankar. In 1961, she performed at theEast/West Encounter in Tokyo and the following year embarked on a North American and European tour which started at Jacob’s Pillow. Under the auspices of the American Society for Eastern Arts, founded by Luise and Samuel Scripps she was in residence at various institutions from 1962 to1982 including Wesleyan University, UCLA, Mills College, University of Washington, Seattle, The Center for World Music (Berkeley), California Institute of the Arts and the American Dance Festival. Her brothers, T. Viswanathan (flute) and T.Ranganathan (mrdangam) who accompanied her in performance, taught music at Wesleyan University. She received some of the highest awards in her own country including the Presidental Award (1955), the Exemplary Golden Lotus (1977), an honorary degree from the Rabindra Bharati University (1964), elected president of the Madras Music Academy Conference, entitled Musical Treasure (1973) and elected the president of Indian Fine Arts Society Conference with the title Crown Jewel of Musical Art (1981). She was the subject of the documentary film, “Bala”, directed by Satyajit Ray. Balasaraswati’s complete understanding of the inter-relationship of the music and dance in Bharata Natyam along with her gifts and training enabled her to achieve high distinction as both dancer and musician.

Lotus Music & Dance, a not-for-profit 501(c)(3) organization, was founded in 1989 by masterBharata Natyam dancer Kamala Cesar. It is a performance space, sanctuary, and center of educationfor traditional and indigenous performing arts forms. The mission is to keep alive and accessible themusic and dance traditions of all world cultures. Lotus Music & Dance remains the only institution ofits kind in New York City, with master artists from India, Korea, Japan, Indonesia, the Philippines,China, the South Pacific, Middle East, the Mohawk Nation, West Africa, and Spain collectivelypreserving their traditional arts. Aside from our varied schedule of unique, multicultural performances,we offer instruction in traditional ethnic forms of dance and music as well as Arts-In-Educationprograms to schools throughout the tri-state area. Since 2002, Lotus Music & Dance has presentedManhattan's only open-air pow wow, the annual Drums Along the Hudson®: A Native American andMulticultural Celebration

Kamala Cesar, disciple of T. Balasaraswati (Bharata Natyam, South Indian Dance), was born in Brooklyn, NY, and is Native American (Mohawk Tribe) and Filipino. She studied Bharata Natyam (the classical dance of South India) both in the United States and in India, under T. Balasaraswati, Bharata Natyam's legendary and foremost exponent. She is one of the few American disciples carrying on the style of T. Balasaraswati in this country. Ms. Cesar has participated in programs sponsored by the American Society for Eastern Arts, the Center for World Music, Asian Traditions, The American Dance Festival, and Wesleyan University. In 1986, she was a recipient of the National Endowment for the Arts Folk Art Apprenticeship. She has performed extensively in the United States, Europe, and India. Ms. Cesar is the Founder and Artistic Director of Lotus Music & Dance, a not-for-profit organization that since 1989 has been supporting multicultural programs that further the understanding, appreciation, and preservation of traditional arts and the creation of new works that evolve from traditional art forms. She has produced several cross-cultural productions, including The New York Ramayana; Eagle Spirit- A Tribute to the Mohawk High Steelworkers; Message of Peace- An Excerpt from the Peacemaker's Journey; World in The City; Dancing Across Cultural Borders; World Dance Passport; and Lotus - the Energy Within. Since 2002, she has produced Drums Along the Hudson: A Native American Festival and Multicultural Celebration, Manhattan's only open-air Pow Wow celebrating Native American heritage along with world cultures and their traditional dance and drumming.

Performers

Nandini Ramani, a senior disciple of T.Balasaraswati and a Recipient of the Central Sangeet Natak Akademi Award from the President of India for her multi-faceted contribution to the field of Bharata Natyam has been groomed by her teachers Bala and K.Ganesan since 1955; she enjoyed an unbroken chain of association with them until their last days. Nandini Ramani, has been playing a vital role in preserving, and propagating the Bala tradition not only in India but also in UK, USA, France, Netherlands, and the Gulf Countries, through her performances, workshops, and lecture demonstrations. Her performances under prestigious cultural organizations, Universities, and Conservatories have received wide acclaim. Nandini is well trained in Carnatic Vocal music under Prof.B.Krishnamurti and Vidushi T.Mukta, a cousin of T.Balasaraswati. Nandini's important musical repertoire has been documented by the Department of Ethnomusicology of the University of Utrecht as part of their heritage collection.

Shrimati Priyamvada Sankar first studied with her father, Dr. V. Raghavan, an eminent Sanskrit scholar, poet and musicologist. She learned the classical Indian dance form Bharata Natyam from the legendary T.Balasaraswati. For over thirty years, Priyamvada has performed in Asia, the U.S., and Canada, in addition to giving numerous lectures on South Indian music and culture. She resides in Canada and established the first Bharata Natyam dance school in Montreal.

Kay Poursine studied with T. Balasaraswati from 1972 to 1983 at Mills College in Oakland, California, University of Washington, Seattle, the Center for World Music, Berkeley, American Dance Festival, Duke University and Wesleyan University, CT. Balasaraswati invited her to Madras (Chennai) for private classes with her and her daughter Lakshmi in 1976-77. Kay received her M.A. from Wesleyan University where she also studied music with Balasaraswati's brothers T. Viswanathan and T. Ranganathan. She studied with Bala and Lakshmi in Chennai 1982-83 with the support of the first of three Smithsonian senior fellowships under the auspices of the American Institute for Indian Studies, University of Chicago. Poursine's performances in India received rave reviews. After Balasaraswati's death in 1984, Poursine continued her studies in this family bani (style) with Bala's senior disciple Nandini Ramani in Chennai with the support of two AIIS Senior Fellowships in 1986-87 and 1990-91 and most recently in October 2016.

Bani Ray gave her first performance at the age of 6. She studied Odissi dance under some of the form's most revered gurus, such as Shri Valmiki Banerjee, Guru Durga Charan Ranbir, & the late Guru Shri Nath Raut. Apart from Odissi, she has performed extensively throughout India & abroad & received scholarships, fellowships & various awards for her expertise in the field of dance. As a joint director of Nehru Institute of Odissi Research & Training in Delhi, India, she has organized international seminars, symposia & training programs for aspiring young dancers. She has been an ICCR Panel Artist and New Jersey Arts Council Panel Artist. She is currently performing and doing in-depth research & training on the style & compositions of Guru Shri Deb Prasad Das. In December 2017 she participated in the International Odissi Dance Festival organized by the Odissi Research Center in Orissa. Since 1998 she has taught at Lotus Music & Dance & now also offers Odissi classes at the Indian Consulate.

Anita Ratnam, based in Chennai (Madras), India, is highly respected as a performer, writer, speaker and arts entrepreneur and culture mentor. She has been described as an "intersectionist", whose work weaves the many disciplines of dance, theatre, spoken word, ritual, archaeology, dramaturgy and women's issues. For over 40 years, her distinguished career has witnessed over 1300 performances in 37 countries. Her formal training in Bharata Natyam, Mohiniattam, and Kathakali has given Dr.Ratnam a distinctive movement vocabulary that she has named Neo Bharatam-a contemporary Indian kinetic situated on a mature body. Using voice, singing, Vedic hymns, drumming, contemporary mythology and devised movements, her acclaimed choreographies include Gajaanana, Daughters of the Ocean, Seven Graces, Ma3ka, A Million Sitas, Neelam and Stone.She was a founding board member of the Balasaraswati School of Music and Dance from 1985 to 1989 and of Lotus Music & Dance from 1989 to 1994. Dr Ratnam served as a member of the Executive Board of the Sangeet Natak Akademi, India's largest apex body for the performing arts, and the ICCR, India's Government panel to select performers for international tours, a fellow of the World Academy of Arts and Sciences, and a voting member of the Dance Critics Association, USA. A Ph.D. in Women’s Studies, Dr.Ratnam was awarded the Presidential Medal in 2016 for her contribution to Contemporary Dance in India. She has served as a distinguished member of several Cultural Committees and convened numerous arts festivals and performance conclaves.

Rajika Puri, trained in Bharata Natyam and Odissi which she performed internationally in solo recital (including a Command Performance for the president of Mexico), Rajika is now known both as danced storyteller (‘Sutradhari Natyam’) and for her performed slide lectures onstage - before shows, and in museums. Much in demand as Narrator/Sutradhar for festivals like Erasing Borders, and Battery Dance’s Downtown Dance Festival, she has been an inventive Sutradhar for Lotus’ own productions, such as the NY Ramayana.Co-curator - and co-presenter - of several Indian dance festivals in New York, Rajika is also a member of the NY Dance and Performance Awards (‘The Bessies’) Nominations Committee. She owes her cross-cultural/multi-arts perspective to an M.A. (NYU) in the Analysis of Movement Systems Across Cultures and to having studied ballet, modern dance (Graham & Cunningham), flamenco, as well as piano and voice. As an actress, she has been directed in theater and on film - by Julie Taymor, JoAnne Akalaitis, Mira Nair and Norman Renee. Her writings - from reviews to academic articles - have been published online and in print.

Honorees

Gale Brewer is the 27th Borough President of Manhattan, with a role in deciding land-use and zoning issues in the borough, the appointment of members to the 12 community boards, and the ability to introduce legislation in the City Council. Since she took office in 2014, her bills to reform the deed restriction process and remove criminal history from initial employment applications have been enacted, and her community land use planning groups have addressed development issues at the South Street Seaport and in East Midtown.

Brewer previously served on the New York City Council for 12 years and passed legislation guaranteeing paid sick leave for most hourly employees, requiring that all City data be published online, and protecting domestic workers from abusive practices--the first such law in the nation.

Brewer earned an MPA from Harvard's Kennedy School of Government and did her undergraduate work at Columbia University and Bennington College.

Gale Brewer

George Faison

George W. Faison, DFA, University of Massachusetts and award-winning, internationally celebrated producer, writer, essayist, composer, director, choreographer, and dancer, made history in 1975 when he became the first AfricanAmerican to win a Tony Award of best choreography for The Wiz! Dr. Faison began his career as a principle dancer with the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater. His Broadway career began with the musical Purlie. After leaving the Ailey Company, he formed his own company, the George Faison Universal Dance Experience and went on to create several American dance classics of his own: Slaves, Suite Otis, Gazelle, and Poppie. He has also choreographed and staged concerts for musical greats including Ashford & Simpson, Roberta Flack, Stevie Wonder, Earth, Wind, & Fire, Dionne Warwick, Stephanie Mills and many more. Dr. Faison has directed regional productions at the McCarter Theater, Princeton NJ, Center Stage in Baltimore, the Kennedy Center, the Pittsburg Public and the Public Theater in NY. Dr. Faison is also the author of several musicals: Apollo, It Was Just Like Magic which starred Morgan Freeman, Clarice Taylor, and S. Epatha Merkerson, Sing Mahalia Sing with Jennifer Holiday; If This Hat Could Talk, based on the life of Dorothy I. Height and most recently, Bah Humbug From the Notorious E.B. Scrooge based on A Christmas Carol. His film credits include Sgt. Peppers Lonely Hearts Club Band, The Cotton Club, Driving Me Crazy,and the Josephine Baker Story.

In 2000, Dr. Faison, along with co-founder Tad Schnugg, established The Faison Firehouse Theater in adecommissioned Firehouse in Harlem which was branded “Hollywood in Harlem” by the media. The Faison FirehouseTheater is a 130 seat venue which “is a full service, digitally advanced performing arts and cultural center complete with a fine arts gallery, rehearsal facilities, and a cabaret theater. He is a co-producer/artistic director of the critically acclaimed City-Wide Summerstage Harlem Dance Caravan at the Richard Rodgers Amphitheater in Marcus Garvey Park. In 1999, he created The Firehouse Respect Project, a youth empowerment troupe for community outreach which continues today. Mr. Faison recently co-produced the 10 anniversary gala of The History Makers: An Evening with Valerie Simpson in Honor of Nick Ashford and directed Steppin’ Out of the Negro Caravan at Howard University. His current season will include three premiers of Noa Ain’s multi-generational chamber jazz opera, Trio, Bitch, a series of monologues by Datra Martindale and Kim Williams, The Timeless Language of James Baldwin with Avery Books, On Common Ground, men and women facing the facts about domestic violence, Stepping Out of the Negro Caravan, African-American literature and the American Experience and a multimedia installation called Harlem, Virtually Yours! a tourist attraction. Dr. Faison has recently directed and choreographed The Wiz 40 Anniversary Celebration a co-production with Summerstage in Central Park. Mr. Faison is currently producing and directing a new musical entitled Whitney Houston: The Last Interview www.faisonfirehouse.org

The incomparable ‘ud (lute) player and violinist Simon Shaheen, a major force in the promotion of Arab music as composer, performer, and educator, brings back to life the glorious era of Arab film music (1930s-60s) in this fascinating program. Under his direction, this concert of instrumentals and vocals is performed by some of the finest Arab artists living in the US, as well as by emerging names in Arab music. Shaheen is joined by Qantara (“arch” in Arabic), his acclaimed ensemble which features Bassam Saba (flutes), Najib Shaheen (‘ud), Naseem Elatrash (cello), Laith Sidiq (violin) and Tareq Rantisi (percussion). Appearing as special guests are members of the Qantara Berklee Ensemble.

“virtuosic sophistication” – New York Times

“Simon Shaheen may be the greatest musical ambassador from the wide world of Arabic music to the U.S.” – NPR

Rebetiki Istoria (“rebetika history”) is a leading traditional group from Athens specializing in early-style rebetika, one of the oldest genres of Greek urban popular song. Often called “the Greek blues,” the music expresses the hardship and joys of everyday life and deals with such subjects as unrequited love, economic hardship, and repatriation. For 35 years, Rebetiki Istoria has been instrumental in the rebetiko revival, producing authentic and compelling rebetika songs reminiscent of the earliest stars. The ensemble features bouzouki, baglama, guitar, and voice and is led by its founder, the renowned Pavlos Vasileiou. ( Buy Tickets Here)

The 2nd World Dance Festival: Dancing Across Cultural borders will take place over two days: Saturday, November 4th and Sunday, November 5th both shows at 4 pm at Roulette Intermedium, 509 Atlantic Avenue, Brooklyn, NY. The event is presented by Lotus Music & Dance in partnership with Robert Browning Associates with support from the National Endowment for the Arts and the New York State Council on the Arts and features Okinawan, Tibetan, Flamenco, Korean, Filipino and Mexican dance! The first day of this global gathering features the graceful folk dances and elegant classical dances that reflect the rich culture of Okinawa, Japan’s southernmost archipelago, performed by acclaimed Okinawan-born and Tokyo-trained dancer Junko Fisher and company; the lively and acrobatic Tibetan Ral-pa dance as well as the ritual masked opera dance (Ngonpoa Ringa) performed by graduates of the Tibetan Institute of Performing Arts in Dharamsala; and soulful flamenco with the ensemble of Sol La Argentinita, featuring Xianinx Barrera.

The second day features Kinding Sindaw, New York’s stellar group dedicated to reclaiming, recreating and preserving indigenous Philippine culture and traditions particularly from the island of Mindanao; the Sounds of Korea, under the direction of Sue Yeon Park, noted master artist and recipient of the NEA National Heritage Fellowship, in an engaging repertoire that includes the mesmerizing fan dance the dazzling drums of ecstasy; and the vibrant Ballet Fiesta Mexicana Ybarra founded by Yloy Ybarra in 1999 that celebrates the rich and diverse dances of Mexico’s various regions.

Join us for a celebration of authentic world-class dance and music, crafts and meet and greet the artists. Learn about the common threads these cultures share and what makes them unique—all right here in Brooklyn!

Robert Browning Associates and Lotus Music & Dance present

KEN ZUCKERMAN with NITIN MITTA

Friday, October 20, 2017at 8:30pm

​Ken Zuckerman has been internationally recognized as one of the finest sarod (lute) virtuosos performing today. A disciple of the legendary Ustad Ali Akbar Khan for 37 years, he performed with Maestro Khan in numerous concerts in Europe, India, and the US. He has performed and recorded with some of India’s leading tabla (drums) players, including Swapan Chaudhuri, Zakir Hussain and Anindo Chatterjee, and has also been at the vanguard of various cultural crossover projects. For this program, he will be accompanied by the dynamic Nitin Mitta, one of the most accomplished tabla players of his generation.

The Rohab Ensemble features three acclaimed maestros from the celebrated Dastan Ensemble - Hossein Behroozinia (barbat - lute), Saeed Farajpoori (kamancheh – spike fiddle) and Behnam Samani (tombak – goblet drum) – together with Hamid Behrouzinia (tar – lute). They are joined by the entrancing vocalist Sepideh Raissadat, who started her training with Parisa and in 1999 became the first female vocalist to have a solo public performance in Iran after the 1979 revolution. Their repertoire of classical Iranian music features romantic, melancholic, and joyous pieces whose lyrics include works from the vast treasury of classical Persian poetry, including mystical (Sufi) verses of Rumi, Sa'adi and Hafez. “spectacular musicianship” – LA Times

Please Join us for

Lotus Music & Dance Showcase

Featuring Bharata Natyam, Odissi, Kathak, Hula and Tahitian

WHEN: Sunday, September 24th, 2017 2PM

Tickets$15 students/seniors$20 general admission$10 earlybird tickets available until September 18th !!! Tickets can be purchased online hereShould you prefer to purchase tickets over the phone, please call 212-627-1076 or contact This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

LOCATION:The Main Street Theatre & Dance AllianceLocated at the Roosevelt Island Cultural Center 548 Main St. on Roosevelt Island

DIRECTIONS:

The F Train There is a Roosevelt Island/Main St Stop on the F-Train. Get off there and walk about 5-6 blocks north to 248 Main St. (or take the free Red Bus 3 stops north.) ----------------- Tramway Get to 59th St and 2nd Ave Take the Roosevelt Island Tramway to Roosevelt Island. (You must have a Metrocard- it's the same as a subway ride) Walk north on Main St approx. 5 blocks (or take the free Red Bus 3 stops north.)-----------------Driving from Manhattan Go over the 59th St Bridge /Upper Roadway (access from 57th St.) Stay Right at the fork and when you get on the street (21st or 22nd,) make a left to 43rd Ave and make a right. The last cross street on 43rd Ave is Vernon Blvd. Make a right on Vernon and head north to 36th St. The 36th St Bridge goes across onto Roosevelt Island. 548 Main St is just a few blocks south on Roosevelt Island.

Learn about worldwide dance and Lotus' mission. See dance demonstrations by students and instructors. Have the opportunity to meet and speak with Lotus instructors. Participate in the Lotus Raffle for fabulous prizes. Refreshments will be served!

Past Events

Lotus Music & Dance and Councilman Ydanis Rodriguez

Invite You to The 15th Annual

Drums Along the Hudson

Native American and Multicultural Celebration

WHEN:

Sunday, June 4th, 2017

FREE!

LOCATION:

11AM to 6PM at Inwood Hill Park 218th Street & Indian Rd. in Northern Manhattan 4 Blocks West of Broadway (#1 and A Trains)

Drummers and Dancers from Around the World, Pow Wow, Native Arts & Crafts, Environmental Tent, Story Telling, International Foods

Earth Day Celebration

In Uptown Manhattan, Saint Nicholas Avenue from 181st Street - 190th Street will go car free! With thousands of people traveling through this area of our district every day, we are working with the Washington Heights Business Improvement District to plan a host of activities, programming, and events brought to the streets!

One of these events will be our very own artists performing. These performances include:

LOTUS MUSIC & DANCE ONLINE SILENT AUCTION

To Benefit

15th Annual Drums Along the Hudson

A Native American and Multicultural Celebration

Our auction features fantastic items as culturally diverse as our programs, including Native American jewelry, unique artwork by international artists, books, collectibles, and several getaway vacations!

LOTUS MUSIC & DANCE ONLINE AND SILENT AUCTION to benefit our Arts-In-Education World Dance Passport Program

Online Bidding open 10/1 - 10/26, 12 noon

Silent Auction Cocktail Party - 10/26, 6 pm

Each year, our Lotus Master Artists bring multicultural dance and music assemblies, classes, residencies and workshops to over 5,000 students. We need your support to continue this vital programming, which furthers our mission to keep alive and accessible traditional performing arts from around the world.

Our auction features fantastic items as culturally diverse as our programs, including Native American jewelry, unique artwork by international artists, passes to the MET and other city museums, and several getaway vacations!